Preserving Baguio’s Heritage: Challenges and Initiatives

Heritage preservation in Baguio faces a tension that plays out daily: the city’s identity as a cultural crossroads of the Cordillera meets the pressures of urbanization, tourism, and a generation that scrolls past more than it stops to examine. The question isn’t whether Baguio’s traditions matter — it’s whether the methods used to keep them alive can keep pace with how people actually live now.

These figures from recent research and on-the-ground initiatives frame a city trying to hold onto what makes it distinct while adapting to a world that changes faster than any ordinance can be passed. The indigenous culture of Baguio is not a relic — it is being actively renegotiated by students, artisans, elders, and local government alike.

Each of these approaches addresses a different part of the preservation problem. Digital documentation meets people where they already spend their attention. Community engagement rebuilds the relational fabric that transmits knowledge across generations. Policy and sustainability create the conditions for both to survive beyond individual projects. A DIY wooden spoon carving experience in Baguio illustrates how hands-on encounters with traditional craft can make heritage tangible in a way that a video alone cannot.

The study published on Academia.edu, which used a phenomenological qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with residents, city government, and organizations managing heritage sites, concluded that awareness, appreciation, and responsibility among locals are essential. But it also identified what stands in the way.

This is the crux of the challenge that surfaces repeatedly across both the academic study and the Crafting Continuity project. Ashley Lao, an Ateneo de Manila University student who launched the social media campaign as her senior thesis, recognized that social media is already the primary source of information for many young Filipinos. Rather than fight that reality, her project produces bite-sized videos featuring local artisans, their stories, and their creative processes, accompanied by a free online instructional e-book. But even Lao acknowledges that exploring Baguio’s landscapes and cultural sites in person offers something digital archives cannot replicate.

Carl Fredrian Cupido, a Baguio-based photographer who helped document artisans for the project, noted that he knew little about the region’s traditional crafts despite growing up around them. His own experience mirrors the wider gap: proximity to heritage does not guarantee knowledge of it. The Crafting Continuity project opened his view toward Filipino craftsmanship and inspired him to help preserve the legacy.

Policy Gaps and Funding Realities

The academic study identified insufficient policy enforcement as a primary barrier. Baguio has heritage ordinances on the books, but the gap between policy and practice is wide enough that cultural sites remain vulnerable to the same urban expansion and tourism pressure the laws were meant to control. Financial constraints compound the problem: preservation initiatives require sustained funding that municipal budgets and sporadic grants rarely provide.

Public awareness, the third major challenge, is the one that connects back most directly to the generational disconnect. Many residents simply do not know what heritage sites exist in their city or why they matter. Cultural mapping — systematically identifying and documenting heritage assets — is one recommended strategy, but mapping only helps if the resulting information reaches the people who live alongside those assets.

The study recommends strengthening existing ordinances, promoting public-private partnerships, and encouraging community participation. These are structural fixes, but they depend on the kind of sustained political will and civic engagement that does not arrive overnight. The community spirit of Baguio has long been a defining characteristic of the city, and heritage preservation may ultimately depend on activating that spirit in new ways.

Sonia S. Bullong, a traditional bead artist of the Kankanaey tribe, reflects Cordilleran identity and cultural pride through her work. She first became interested in beading as a child and later incorporated traditional designs into jewelry that complements indigenous clothing. For her, preserving traditional crafts is deeply connected to preserving cultural identity itself. She worries that cultural knowledge may fade as younger generations become more disconnected from their communities. Seeing her craft documented through digital platforms gave her hope, but she believes cultural preservation requires collective effort from families, educators, and community elders. Elders, she says, have a duty to help the next generations embrace cultural importance, value of identity, and tribal affiliation.

What Different Stakeholders Can Actually Do

For Residents and Community Members

The research emphasizes that awareness and appreciation must come before action. Start by visiting cultural sites in your own city. Attend workshops offered by local artisans. If you encounter a traditional craft being demonstrated, stop and observe — the act of paying attention is itself a form of preservation. The silent film night at Ili-likha is one example of how cultural spaces in Baguio create opportunities for community gathering around heritage.

For Educators and Students

The Crafting Continuity model shows what a senior thesis or class project can do when it treats heritage as a living archive. Schools can integrate local crafts into curriculum, invite artisans as guest speakers, and create digital documentation projects that give students hands-on experience while building a public resource. Lao’s project was one student’s initiative, but it points to a replicable approach.

For Local Government and Policy Makers

The study recommends strengthening existing ordinances, but enforcement requires resources and prioritization. Public-private partnerships can bring in funding and expertise that municipal budgets cannot supply. Cultural mapping should be treated as a foundational investment, not an optional add-on — without knowing what exists, you cannot protect it.

For Visitors and Tourists

Sustainable tourism means choosing experiences that support local artisans rather than displacing them. Buy directly from craftspeople when possible. Choose workshops over souvenirs. The way tourism money flows into Baguio shapes what survives and what does not.

Heritage preservation in Baguio is not a single problem to solve but a set of ongoing negotiations between tradition and change, policy and practice, digital access and human connection. The research and initiatives covered here point in a consistent direction: preservation works when it is collective, sustained, and adapted to how people actually live. The tools and strategies exist — what remains is the harder work of keeping them active beyond any single project or ordinance.

If this was useful, you might also want to read our guide to weekend getaways in Baguio for relaxation and cultural exploration.

Sources

Experiencing Baguio’s Indigenous Culture — A deeper look at the traditions and communities shaping the city’s cultural identity.

Baguio DIY Wooden Spoon Carving Experience — A hands-on craft activity that connects visitors directly with local artisan traditions.

Scrolling Through Heritage: How a Student Is Preserving Baguio’s Folk Arts Online. ABS-CBN, 2026.

Strategies in Preserving Cultural Heritage Sites in Baguio City. Cognizance Journal, 2026.